now it's time nor "now". his job according to him is to tell us the truth about what's going on. okay governor christie, give it to us. it's wednesday, february 26th and this is "now." chris christie appeared at a town hall. his second since the george washington bridge scandal. >> governor jan brewer is feeling more pressure over the state's controversial religious freedom bill. >> governor brewer has until the end of the week. >> this was such a needless battle. republicans in arizona put on the front page. >> new numbers released today reflected advice that christie has come to occupy. >> new jerseyians are a really funny people. >> it may be the best clue we have. >> arizona is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. >> why create drama around this? >> my job is not to be the entertainer in chief. my job is to tell you folks the truth. >> actually, get the sense that

he's given up on any idea of running for president. >> it's like your 13-year-old son's science experiment. >> sign it or veto it. >> every second she doesn't veto is is a black mark on the state of arizona. >> as governor, i don't have a magic wand. some daisy hit the lights right, some days i don't. >> some days, you hit them right and some days you don't. words of wisdom, a ver tabl zen as he hit his landmark 111th town hall. this was th time he was in sterling, new jersey, about 40 minutes from the george washington bridge depending on traffic. sorry, we had to. the soundtrack with bruce, the mood was boisterous and the message, hey, trust me. >> my job is to be the adult in the room. to tell you folks the truth about what's going on. the fact is that i've got an

obligation to tell you all the truth. >> everyone? >> no matter what. >> hey everyone? christie is the grown-up in the room. doesn't know about traffic problems in ft. lee or former aides and social studies class. you know what else, chris christie is not giving a single thought to politics these days. not a one. >> i'm in my second term now. according to our constitution, you know, that means i can't run for governor again. i could tell you something, that's really good news for you. it's really good news for you. here's why. i'm not worrying about politician anymore. this is it. >> he is not worried about politics anymore. this is it. which probably comes as a relief. because the latest polling suggests the embattled governor is distinctly not hitting his marks on everything from bridge gate to superstorm sandy. more voters think the new jersey governor has not been completely

honest about his role in the bridge scandal. that number is growing. it's up by ten points to 61% in the last month. of in 10 new jerseyans believe the administration likely used sandy relief funds to exercise political power over local officials, a claim made by the mayor of hoboken. meanwhile, those in christie's own party, clearly want to see another grownup move into the white house. a poll shows more republicans nationwide say christie should not run for president in 2016. this is it for christie and politics. maybe you really can trust him on that. joining me now is senior political reporter for nj.com darrylisher wood and managing editor of the post politics section and author of course of the indispensable, the fix, chris soliz a. >> that's soliza. >> whatever you want. >> darrell, let's start with you since i butchered your name

royally and also because you are a reporter for nj.com and are familiar with the ins and outs of politics in new jersey. we talked about this right before the segment began. i don't live in new jersey and i am a member of the national immediate a -- we've discussed this scandal, bridge gate in particular a lot. it still strikes me, no matter how much some people from new jersey say it isn't an issue with the new jersey electorate, it strikes me as odd that in none of these town halls that have happened since bridge gate began that anybody has asked him a single question. what gives? >> yeah. i think it's amazing as well. we've had the same discussion in the press corps. is this not resonating in new jersey or what's the deal? you're still talking a couple dozen questions. you would think one would come back even if it was a planted question. even if somebody came with the sole intent of trying to embarrass the governor. there is something to the friendly confines argument. morris county is a heavily republican county.

monmouth county where he was last week is a heavily republican county. that town focused on sandy issues and a lot of people with "real" issues. people haven't been in their homes for a long time there's sort of been this, especially today was are we going to hear it, are we going to hear it? and it didn't happen. i don't know the explanation to it, whether we in the media both state and national press, have overblown it. whether it's lucky. >> really. >> he's a lucky governor. he is a lucky man that not one question cropped up. chris, i wonder what you make of governor christie's contention that he's not worried about politics anymore. this is it. >> i think he's probably not terribly that worried about what the new jersey electorate might think of him. although i think he probably still has that mind. be honest, alex, every

politician says they don't look at polls and they do. it is impossible for me to believe that chris christie is done with politics. despite what's happened over the last few months. i have thought for a while and i'm not alone in this, it was going to get worse before and if it got better for chris christie just because of the number of subpoenas and number of documents which is going to continue and continue. it has, i think, you're seeing the damage done to him. but i would say and one of the folks who works for me, aaron blake, great reporter, he pupt the numbers together and noted his numbers are way down. 44 disapprove in new jersey. those are still a heck of a lot better, marco rubio, rand paul, some of the people he might be running against in 2016. yes, has he come down from the levels he was when he got re-elected in 2013? yes, absolutely. i'm not sure he's persona non

grata compared to the rest of the field. >> there's news yesterday that the superior court judge mary jacobson has ordered bridgett ann kelly to had -- in dort on march 11th. from the giving, those are two people on the top of my list and it's grown long in terms of people who could really change the dynamic for christie and who could have material that could be very damaging to his governorship. what is the sense do you get in and around christieland about this march 11th. >> i don't know about the march 11th thing, but there's a lot yet to be found and heard. i think chris is absolutely right, we're still on the downward path. i would add 51% approval rating, a lot of presidents would kill for that rating. president of the united states being one of them. >> yes. >> i think you can't write his

obituary yet. we've talked about this ad nauseam in the press corps in new jersey. he's not done as of now. if it stopped today -- >> although he's saying he's done and this is it. just to be clear. >> the point is, i guess there is a lot yet to be known. you're right if bridgett kelly and bill steppian are forced to disclose what they know, who knows what's out there and what's in documents and e-mails and text messages. we've seen a taste of the bridgett kelly text messages in other people's submissions. there's more to that. that didn't start august 13th when that first text message came that said time for traffic problems. something happened before that to prompt that. >> that text message did not come out of the ether. chris, one of the christie's sort of selling points, if um, was this broad bipartisan coalition. that he had real power to make deals with democrats in the state legislature. yesterday christie announced his budget and i felt like there was a decided chill in the air.

a real back and forth over spending priorities in a way and we're talking about pensions, which have always been a source of debate with christie. but more broadly speaking, over his command and control of the budget, i felt like democrats in the state of new jersey were lessen a. enamored with the gov which erodes the bipartisanship thing. >> one lesson i learned in life and politics is fear is a tremendous motivator, alex. look, i think we expected, though we didn't find after barack obama was elected in 2008 sweepingly, i expected more the sort of power of fear among some republicans who worried that a popular president would wash them out of office if they opposed him. i think if this had not happened with chris christie, maybe you would see some of that fear. you don't have to like him, but you look at the margin that he won by. you see sort of his profile, his ability to communicate and you go along to get along a little

bit. i think that's his image, his brand, his sort of ability to ride rough shot over folks using the popularity in his personality. that has quite clearly taken a hit. you know, he's still out there, this is his second town hall in as many weeks. but that fear factor, i think, is significantly lessened. to be frank, that was part of the whole sort of power of chris christie in the first term and early in the second term although this came up so early, i'm not sure we can determine what his second term philosophy would be. >> it's what the glasses are to chris cillizza. once you take away the brand, it'ser ref cably damaged. >> and i can't see. >> that is also see. >> i'm taking verbs out of sentences. darryl isher wood. and chris cillizza. >> jan brewer says she will do

the right thing on the bill. and when exactly she'll do it. only jan brewer knows. that is coming up. but first, ben affleck and seth rogan are on capitol hill and no, it is not because they're shooting a totally hilarious buddy movie. more on that coming up next. [announcer] if your dog can dream it, purina pro plan can help him achieve it. ♪ driving rock/metal music stops ♪music resumes music stops ♪music resumes [announcer] purina pro plan's bioavailable formulas deliver optimal nutrient absorption. [whistle] purina pro plan. nutrition that performs.

a steel cage: death match of midsize sedans. the volkswagen passat against all comers.

turbocharged engines against...engines. best in class rear legroom against other-class legroom. but then we realized. consumers already did that. twice. huh. maybe that's why nobody else showed up. how does one get out of a death cage? vo: hurry in and lease the 2014 passat for $189 a month. visit vwdealer.com today.

the stars rs shining in washington this afternoon. actor and director ben affleck melt with secretary of state john kerry this morning and moments ago, wrapped up testimony before the senate foreign relations committee. affleck was speaking about the continuing humanitarian crisis

in the democratic republic of congo where militia attacks uprooted kong la ease in the past four months. meanwhile in the senate appropriations committee, seth rogan testified on the effects of alzheimer's disease. his mother-in-law was diagnosed with the disease when she was just 55 years old. >> thank you for the opportunity to testify today and for the opportunity for me to be called an expert at something because that's cool. i don't know if you know who i am at all. you told me you never saw "knocked up." >> coming up, climate change is real. no really, it's real. bill nye and dr. jeffrey sax join me. the longer governor brewer waits to veto sb 1062, the worse it gets for her party. we talk grand old self-made problems next. [ male announcer ] it's 7am and steve is already thinking about tomorrow.

which is why he's investing in his heart health by eating kellogg's raisin bran®. not only is kellogg's raisin bran® heart healthy it's a delicious source of potassium. ♪ mom make you eat that? i happen to like raisins. [ male announcer ] invest in your heart health. now that's what i'm talkin' about. with kellogg's raisin bran®. [ female announcer ] now with kellogg's family rewards you can get even more from the products you love. join today at kfr.com. you can get even more from the products you love. save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.ould yep, everybody knows that. well, did you know the ancient pyramids were actually a mistake? uh-oh. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

to sign or not to sign, that is the question or at least it is the question if you're arizona governor jan brewer. a woman with a big old discriminatory anti-gay bill sitting on her desk just waiting for her signature. signing the bill would allow any business in the state of arizona to lawfully deny service to people who are gay because it violates businesses' religious freedom. many people, including the lawmakers who pass the bill and businesses themselves are opposed to sb 1062. given the hubbub about the necessity of protecting companies and their religious beliefs, a whole bunch of company have joined to call to veto. delta airlines, petsmart and intel added their name to a growing list that includes apple, marriott and american

airlines. even mr. corporate personhood himself, the man who made the case that corporations are people too, that guy has come out against the bill. yesterday, mitt romney tweeted to governor brewer that the veto of the bill is right. but not all republicans have been as forthcoming and forward thinking. today, texas congressman louie gohmert came out in support of the bill. hours before that, wisconsin congressman paul ryan and rick scott both tried to dodge questions about their position. >> i voted for enda, the employment nondiscrimination act. which means you can't discriminate for hiring decisions based on sexual orientation. i'm not going to comment on a billion all the details about. >> how about this -- >> do you think she should sign or veto that bill? >> chuck, i have not seen that bill. they've got spring training teams that i want to get back to florida. i have not seen that. >> ryan and scott may not have erred on the side of equality,

but didn't draw ridiculous comparisons like arizona state senator steve yarborough who did this earlier today. >> the hypothetical that i think is the most useful is let's assume that we have three gentlemen who are devout jewish fellas who form a corporation and go in the catering business and they're doing that and then i come to them and i say, i'd like for you to cater my event but i would like for you to provide pork products and they say, well, i'm sorry, our sincerely held religious beliefs prevent us from doing this. my response is then i sue you and i get damages against you. >> the consumption of pork being the what amendment of the constitution. as republicans twist themselves into rhetorical pretzels and logical fallacies, the rest of the country is moving forward. this afternoon, a federal judge in texas ruled the state's ban on gay marriage unconstitutio l unconstitutional.

it marks the seventh time a judge ruled against a ban on same-sex marriage since the supreme court overturned doma last summer. joining me from austin is the texas co-chair for freedom to marry, mark. let's get to the breaking news. in your state of texas. another state, another judge takes up this issue and errs on the side of equality. what do you make of in news out of texas? >> well, it's great. we just announced yesterday the southern campaign for the freedom to marry. i'm delighted that one day later we've got this great news out of texas. as you've mentioned, this is the seventh federal judge in a row to rule against state laws prohibiting gay marriage. the arc of history on this is bending forward. it's not going to reverse itself. we're going to have hiccups along the way like we have in arizona right now. given all that i've heard about the arizona case, as you've mentioned in your piece, even some of the legislators who voted for it didn't understand it when they voted on it.

and i'm very happy to see the huge corporate and general response from not only companies but republican politicians, including the two republican senators from arizona. >> mark, you're a political strategy. why is jan brewer taking so long to issue this veto if that's what she's going to do or just make a decision in general. >> i can't read her mind or figure her out. it doesn't make any sense politically. so i have no idea why that's going on. but i am encouraged to see the general response there. i'll be shocked if she doesn't rule against -- that she doesn't veto the bill. >> i think a lot of people will. one of the things that is interesting, if this is a petri dish for the broader republican party, is you really have business, moderate republicans, established republican leadership coming out in support of marriage -- of equality, of what i would call civil rights.

and at the same time, you have the rush limbaughs and the eric ericsson and heritage action saying this bill should stand and she should not veto it. what do you think this says about where the heart and soul of the republican party is right now? >> well, i think a large part of the republican party is waking up and moving on and moving ahead on this issue. if you're a party whose platform and philosophy is all about more freedom and less intrusive government, to be consistent, you have to support gay marriage. so that philosophical inconsistency is biting the party and hurting the party. but i think that more and more republicans are stepping up, stepping forward and supporting more freedom and less government on all issues, including this very important one. >> do you think -- rush limbaugh said yesterday that brewer is being bullied by the homosexual lobby. i guess that includes john mccain to advance the gay agenda. at what point do the republicans

say you have no idea what you're talking about and what you're saying is bad for the party? >> well, i think increasingly that big microphone of rush limbaugh is becoming a microphone echoing the past and not the future. >> mark, i want to talk a little bit about how you just said that if you are for more freedom and less onerous government regulation, you have to be for gay marriage, right? mark tracy and the new republic he reminds us about how far we've all come in the last ten years and writes, a long, long time ago in a culture that seems ever farther away, an incumbent republican president picked up crucial turnout of the conservative base in several battleground states via battle initiatives to ban same-sex marriages. all the initiatives passed. they were seen as a boon to him as he secured a narrow victory. it's really very strange that that wasn't even ten years ago. do you think -- especially coming out of the news out of texas today. do you think we're going to see an end to these kind of divisive

battle initiative measures on marriage equality in the next election cycle? >> i do. the general public support for this is a strong majority, even in the south it's 46 oppose, 46 for. you see how much the history has changed in the last decade, not only with the example you talked about but it wasn't long ago that president clinton was signing the defense of marriage act. this is bending forward but it's bending forward fast. >> the arc of history bends towards justice and sharply so it seems at in moment in time. freedom to marry's mark mckinnon, thank you as always for your time and thoughts. >> thanks, alex. kick it hard. after the break, scores of rebel fighters are slaughtered in the outskirts of damascus and secretary kerry says the president is dissatisfied with the situation in syria. we'll have a full report next on "now." are you ready grandma? just a second, sweetie. [ female announcer ] we eased your back pain, you turned up the fun.

tylenol® provides strong pain relief while being gentle on your stomach. but for everything we do, we know you do so much more. tylenol®. ♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪ ♪ and there's nothing good around ♪ ♪ turn around, barry ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ [ female announcer ] fiber one. ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ iwe don't back down. we only know one direction: up so we're up early. up late. thinking up game-changing ideas, like this: dozens of tax free zones across new york state. move here. expand here. or start a new business here... and pay no taxes for 10 years. with new jobs, new opportunities and a new tax free plan. there's only one way for your business to go. up. find out if your business can qualify at start-upny.com

to nbcuniversal's coveragens of the biggest loser olympic winter games ever, with the most coverage of the most events on every device. and the most hours of streaming video on the nbc sports live extra app, including the x1 platform from xfinity. comcast was honored to bring every minute of every medal of nbcuniversal's coverage to every screen. so what's next? rio 2016. welcome to what's next. comcast nbcuniversal.

purina dog chow light & healthy is a deliciously tender and crunchy kibble blend. with 20% fewer calories than purina dog chow. isn't it time you discovered the lighter side of dog chow. purina dog chow light & healthy. to manage your money.r guy around 2 percent that's not much, you think except it's 2 percent every year. go to e*trade and find out how much our advice and guidance costs. spoiler alert. it's low. it's guidance on your terms not ours. e*trade. less for us, more for you.

today in syria where the death toll stands at over 140,000 people. a large group of islamist rebel fighters were slaughtered by the syrian army in a suburb outside of damascus. but there are conflicting reports on the details of the ambush. syrian state media is reporting that 175 were killed and that they were fighters from the al news rah front. the syrian observatory for human rights puts the death toll at 70 and claims hezbollah fighters also took part in the killing. nearby at the refugee park in damascus, thousands of refugees lined up for food at a united nations distribution point. this is what that looked like. if there was any question as to the destruction and chaos and suffering in syria right now, here is proof of what three years of civil war has done to a people. this afternoon in an interview with msnbc's andrea mitchell, secretary of state john kerry spoke about the administration's

options and the president's dissatisfaction with the situation. >> the president has taken no option off the table. none. he's constantly reviewing this. he is constantly making judgments about what options may or may not be available. and i can tell you that none of us are satisfied, not the president, not me, no one in this administration is satisfied with where we are today. >> coming up, remember when bill o'reilly pressed president obama on his favorite conspiracies, benghazi an the irs in a pre-super bowl interview? >> your detractors believe you did not tell the world it was a terror attack because your campaign didn't want that out. that's what they believe. >> and they believe it because folks like you are telling them. >> i'm not telling them. i'm asking you whether you were told it was a terror attack. >> what i'm saying that is inaccurate. these kinds of things keep on surfacing. in part, because you and your tv station will promote them. >> another reason these kind of

things keep surfacing, darryl edward isiah. now the president is going back to the irs conspiracy well. we'll tell you about the real irs scandal just ahead. play close. good and close. help keep teeth clean and breath fresh. with beneful healthy smile food and snacks. he'll love the crunch of the healthy smile kibbles. you'll love how they help clean. with soft, meaty centers, and teeth cleaning texture, healthy smile snacks help keep a shine on his smile. it's dental that tastes so good. beneful healthy smile food and snacks.

the u.n. previews a new comprehensive report on climate change and so far the word hoax is not in the findings. dr. jeffrey sax and bill nye the science guy join me coming up next. first bertha coombs has a cnbc market wrap. >> hi, alex. a flat day in the markets. the dow closed up about 19 points. the s&p fractionally positive. some of the high flying spots included target, up 7%. despite that big data breach that cost a lot of people not to

shop there, their earnings weren't as bad as expected. another high flier was delta. stock at an all-time high. but boy, a lot of outrage over the fact that they're changing frequent flyer program starting next year. your miles will be based on how much you spend for a ticket. not how many miles you fly. so if you buy coach, even if you're flying a long way, you won't earn as many miles. lot of folks talking about that one. we'll be right back. that's it from cnbc. we're first in business worldwide. hey guys! sorry we're late.

did you run into traffic? no, just had to stop by the house to grab a few things. you stopped by the house? uh-huh. yea. alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation.

get professionally monitored security for just $29.99 a month. with limited availability in select markets. ♪ with limited availability in select markets. to nbcuniversal's coveragens of the biggest loser olympic winter games ever, with the most coverage of the most events on every device. and the most hours of streaming video on the nbc sports live extra app, including the x1 platform from xfinity. comcast was honored to bring every minute of every medal of nbcuniversal's coverage to every screen. so what's next?

rio 2016. welcome to what's next. comcast nbcuniversal. climate change, global warming, whatever anybody preference to call it is, is increasingly a national security threat.

it is increasingly going to provide major challenges to food security, to water security, to refugee populations, which it's going to create to the stability and instability of countries. to economies. >> that was secretary of state john kerry speaking to msnbc's andrea mitchell a few hours ago reiterating his commitment to the global challenge of climate change. next month, the u.n.'s intergovernmental panel on climate change will release the final version of its assessment the first since 2007. previewing the fientds on monday, the co-chair, professor chris field told reporters, the impacts of climate change that have occurred are evident, widespread and have consequences. he added, i think if you look around the world at the damages sustained in a wide range of climate-related events, it is very clear, we're not prepared for the kinds of event we're already seeing. professor field is telling a lot

of people something most of them already know. the first two months of 2014 have seen some of the most extreme weather in recent years. a polar vortex in much of the u.s. brought subfreezing air down from the arctic. record cold temperatures are again expected in much of the upper midwest this week. southern california is finally expected to see some rainfall today after two years of drought. in great britain, a series of floods brought the wettest winter in 250 years. that's a quarter of a millennium. while climate change deniers point to frigid cold and say hey, the earth isn't getting warmer, in other parts of the world the heat is extreme. the southern hemisphere had the warmest start to a year ever recorded. temperatures in melbourne rose to over 100 degrees for four consecutive days. this month's winter olympics in sochi were officially the warmest winter olympic games ever. in parts of russia and the arctic have been a full 50 degrees warmer than usual.

climate change isn't just real. it is happening. the sooner we move past pseudoscientific debates about the veracity of things that are established fact based on data and measurement, the sooner we can actually do something about it. joining me now is the ceo of the planetary society, bill nye, a/k/a the science guy and from from the university, professor jeffrey sax. thanks for joining me. bill, you were on a debate on our mother ship a few weeks ago. while i always think it's good to discuss the issue of climate change, it boggles my mind that we're even having a debate. from your perspective and i will quote somebody in 1992, the u.n. undersecretary at a climate change conference in 1992, which was 22 years ago, said every bit of evidence i've seen persuades me that we are on a course leading to tragedy. that was 22 years ago. why are we still debating this basic fact?

>> the fossil fuel industry has done a lot. >> 24 years ago. >> in my -- i did stuff on the science guy show 20 years ago on climate change, when it first came out. so the fossil fuel industry has done a lot to fight it because it's easy. the other thing that's interesting about conspiracy theories -- i'm serious, it's a real problem. they're easy. things look so fantastically messed up. how can this possibly be? oh, there's a conspiracy. that's what it is. people controlling the world. no, you have 7 billion people living on a planet where the atmosphere is quite thin. here we are. you can run in circles screaming, but i would prefer is we get to work. this is very easy to say on this television cable station is preaching to the choir largely. but we all have to work together to make enormous changes. the sooner we get started, the better. the conspiracy theory is a real

problem. you have people in congress who really embrace it as kind of an easy way out. >> who sit on the very committees that are tasked with doing something about this. >> it's really generational largely. i completely understand it. your james inhofe, you grew up where you have neighbors literally miles away and it's hard to believe that your neighbors could affect the climate of a whole world. >> but, dr. science guy, you look at the -- you -- dr. sax, you look at the -- interest dips when the economy is bad. that said, this argument has been framed as one of greenies there is nongreenies where it's an economic issue. we rattled off the list of droughts, there are wildfires, the polar vortex. it's expensive when things freeze over. it's expensive when crops die. how come that part of the economic argument or the sort of

economic impetus, the urgency in terms of the american economy hasn't figured more prominently in the debate over reform? >> i think first people should understand that the science has been around not just for a decade or two or three, but it goes back to 1840 when it was fird identified. then in 1896, a nobel prize winning chemist, swedish chemist, made the calculations that showed what would happen when the carbon dioxide doubles in the atmosphere. this goes back a long time. the controversy we're having right now is some confused people, but mainly a contrived controversy. we have to get beyond it. it keeps its role because of the power of the oil industry. and this is quite clear. it's the coke brothers, it's rupert murdoch, it's mining interests, it's exxon.

even some of the more responsible oil companies are ashamed to be part of this. but several that have very deep pockets and that hide their influence in shells with organizations with nice sounding names which are shells of shells of shells. >> astroturf. >> basically doing this. we have to move beyond this. one of the reasons why we don't move beyond it is that our government, which should be responsible, secretary kerry is doing a wonderful job of saying how important it is, but where is the administration's plan? they haven't put forward an energy plan that shows how we can move out of this. i fault them as well. no government has been willing to stand up to these powerful interests. and that's why people are confus confused. many people, most people in america know climate is changing, most of those who say that know that it's human caused. i think that most of the debate

is about the science is a pseudodebate. what we don't have is a real debate about how to change the energy system right now. >> but let me ask you on that, note, bill. because the president, i mean, first of all, it's not just america. we need an international quorum for action. >> that's correct. >> 7 of the 200-plus countries account for -- china is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. india is right up there. they have not been particularly forward leaning on this issue in terms of gathering international action on it. so what -- internationally what should be done to increase, i think, the sort of buy-in, if you will from other countries and then i want to ask you as a follow-up after you answer that, how do you grade the president's domestic efforts, the epa regulations and a lot of the executive actions he's doing

right now. >> if i were king of the forest we would invest in basic research so that the technologies to produce energy, especially electricity, are renewable, sustainable and they're developed here and then we export them. and it would happen. if we invested in basic research. the key, if you could come up with a better way to store energy, this is to say especially a technology that would allow you to produce electricity and this might surprise you, if you had a giant reservoir of heat, something that just stayed hot, you could run a turbine all night and heat it up all day. this seems in a big picture intuitive, but of course, the details are fantastically complicated. but it's doable if we were to invest in it. so i say to the exxon-mobils and the bps and stuff, you want to be in the energy business rather than the fossil fuel business. it's very easy to say. but we could provide incentives

and the kind much thing that we have going on right now, which is a big issue is when you have the standing military protecting oil fields, that's really a subsidy for oil companies. this gets into big broad swipes and so on. >> it gets into geopolitics. >> nevertheless, if we invested in basic reresearch, i claim th pat ens and innovations would happen and we could export the technologies because people in china, i'm not an expert but i've been to china, they're not crazy about dirty air either. >> right. >> they have cities that are miserable because of the pollution. >> air quality. >> from coal. we could change the world. >> right now we're on a schedule to reach a new international agreement in december 2015. there will be a head of state summit meeting in paris at the end of next year and this will be very important, even a make or break opportunity for the world. i think that's why the

government is starting to talk more about it, the international diplomacy is gearing up to try to reach an agreement. up until now, china and india said, well, if the richest country in the world isn't doing it, we're much poorer. china has gotten a lot richer. it's now the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases. it's the one driving the climate change now. they'll have to take much more responsibility. but the u.s. can't just stand back. it has to be active negotiation right now to reach a suitable agreement. it's definitely possible. >> do you think -- let me follow on that. the president is talking more about climate change than he ever has. he spoke very firmly about the need to do something in the state of the union. he's about in june the epa is expected to issue rules and regulations regarding, i believe, existing power plants, coal fired plants. where do you grade him on his domestic efforts? >> i think these are good steps but i would like to see the u.s. government tell the american

people very clearly, here's how we can get to a low carbon economy so that we can also work with the rest of the world to do that. they haven't done that yet. but what he's doing is picking things as he explained, by executive action that he may be able to implement. but we need something more than that. we need the vision to say how are we going to get from here to a future that's safe for the world if the administration would do that, it would have a huge impact. up until now, they've been afraid to o do that. but all presidents have been afraid to do that because of exxon, because of the coke brothers, because of the big money. but now is the time do it. we've never had a secretary of state so committed as secretary kerry to this. he's going to be leading the global negotiations. that's very powerful. make a plan, show how the world can do this. show why it's good for the economy. just like you were saying. show why there's a practical course with electric vehicles

rather than internal combustion engines. with renewable energy, solar and wind and other technologies. these are things that can really be done. but we have to now make the case also to the public. not just we're going to cap this and that. that's too ugly. it's technical. it doesn't inspire. but what could inspire is look at what america could look like in 20 or 30 years. much smarter transport, smarter cities. >> that's the sputnik moment. >> absolutely. >> let me go back to the building blocks like the sputnik movement before we let you go. bill, this is the question that keeps coming up. though is seems elementary. you're the science guy and can explain these things. fls a polar vortex. republicans say what climate change. al gore, his theories have frostbite. practically explain to us how something like the polar vortex could be an extrapolation of broader climate distress. >> there's two things that make

wind and weather. do you know the two things? it's not that complicated. >> go for it. >> heat of the sun, spin of the earth. when you have a big earth with a bunch of oceans and mountains and things, it gets complicated. there's a whirlpool at the north pole. you let the jet stream, this flow of air across, especially north america we talk about it constantly. you let that come too far south because you've added heat energy to the atmosphere. the polar vortex comes with it sometimes. so here we are. >> i think it's important for people to know that as cold as it has been east of the rockies in the u.s., the warmest years as you mentioned on the planet and so there's nothing contradictory about this from this one local episode of what's happening globally. >> preach it, dr. jeffrey sachs. that's all the time we have. >> let's change the world. >> let's do it. it's our sputnik moment. thank you for your time. >> thank u. coming up, the isiah man

cometh. the crusade against government and the real scandal at the irs. that's next. [ male announcer ] research suggests cell health plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. ♪ see what's new atdants to projectluna.comalth.

your hepatitis c.forget it's slow moving, you tell yourself. i have time. after all there may be no symptoms for years. no wonder you try to push it to the back of your mind and forget it. but here's something you shouldn't forget. hepatitis c is a serious disease. if left untreated, it could lead to liver damage and potentially even liver cancer. if you are one of the millions of people with hepatitis c, you haven't been forgotten. there's never been a better time to rethink your hep c. because people like you may benefit from scientific advances. advances that could help you move on from hep c. now is the time to rethink hep c and talk to your doctor. visit hepchope.com to find out about treatment options. and register for a personalized guide to help you prepare for a conversation with your doctor.

on expedia you can book any flight, car and hotel together to save even more. plus, get an extra $100 when you build your custom trip. expedia, find yours. [ ship horn blows ] no, no, no! stop! humans. one day we're coming up with the theory of relativity, the next... not so much. but that's okay. you're covered with great ideas like optional better car replacement from liberty mutual insurance. total your car, and we give you

the money to buy one a model year newer. xxxxx. at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? he's back. congressman darrell issa's kicks aught i can journey to find a smoking gun at the irs continues. the chairman of the house oversight and government reform committee has summoned lois lerner, the former director of the exempt organization's unit to reappear before his committee next week despite the fact that her lawyer says she will once again plead the fifth. back in may of last year, lerner pleaded the fifth but answered one question concerning the authenticity of a document. in doing so, she can now be compelled to testify 287 days later, issa says.

stunts like this are basically par for the course. the congressman has made a career out of spelunking the depths of government to find a scandal. on the irs, he has been particularly tenacious. >> how dare the administration imply that they're going to get to the bottom of it. this was a targeting of the president's political enemies effectively and lies about it during the election year so that it wasn't discovered until afterwards. >> the evidence for that claim is nowhere to be found. yet, it hasn't stopped issa and his cohorts from spending almost $8 million taxpayer to foment suspicion and forcing 2 55 irs employees to spend 97,542 hours responding to congressional investigations. nine months of inquiries, 15 congressional hearings, more than 400,000 documents. all at a time when irs resources

have been stretched to the breaking point. if that waste of taxpayer money was not scandal enough, there is actually another scandal at the irs. it's just not the one darrell issa has been focused on. the actual cover-up is that by gumming up the works and gutting the budget, house republicans have succeeded in preventing the agency from investigating the powerful and moneyed political organization that is have been masquerading at social welfare organizations. as written in "the new york times" today, the real beneficiaries of issa's investigations, karl rove and the coke brothers. since its founding, rove's gps has spent $253 million supporting republican candidates. a recent investigation by the "washington post" and the center for responsive politics reveal that the coke brothers political groups raised more than $400 million in 2012. as the times reports, the irs hearings are a convenient sideshow.

they sap resources from the agency so it can't investigate the big fish. marcus owens who directed the irs's exempt organization from 1990 to 2000 told the times the clear impact from the negotiations has been to throw a proverbial wooden shoe into the machinery causing it to grind to a halt. if conservatives can run out the clock, the irs investigation of these groups will exceed the statute of limitations. while minor characters pay the price, the big players will in all probability skate. rove and the cokes are unlikely to see their tax exempt political reined in or the financial clout of their 501 c independent expenditure groups. there, america, is your scandal. that's all for now. see you back here tomorrow. the ed show it up next. good evening americans and welcome to the ed show live from new york. let's get